


Poison

by KirstenCerece



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Reveal Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-02-01 21:52:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12713640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KirstenCerece/pseuds/KirstenCerece
Summary: A particularly brutal fight with an akumatized villain leaves Chat Noir on the brink of death. Ladybug vows she'll do whatever it takes to save him, even if the aftermath forever changes their lives.





	1. Chapter 1

This was not how their fights went. They fought the akumatized villain, captured it, and then release it as a harmless butterfly. They would then run off before transforming, and that was that. Marinette was  _not_  supposed to be fighting the villain alone, trying her best to keep the attention away from her dying partner. It was Ladybug and Chat Noir, not just Ladybug.

"The Butcher" was an older woman who'd been fired from her own shop by her sons. Her weapon of choice— throwing knives coated in poison. However, the dynamic duo had no idea of the poison part. Chat had been hit in the side early in the fight, enough to bleed profusely through his suit, but not enough to be immediately threatening. As the fight continued, Chat started to falter and stumble. The Butcher had laughed, and casually mentioned the poison was starting to take effect. As they paused to process, she hurled another knife, tearing right through his suit in the same spot.

" _It looks like my special coat of poison is working. Soon, he'll be dead and I'll only have the bug to deal with. It should be easy to take their Miraculous then."_

As soon as the woman went down, and the butterfly released, she sprinted over to Chat. She'd had to drag him out of the way of the fight, and out of her line of sight. Glancing at him every two seconds would have distracted her, and getting poisoned herself would have been a death sentence for them both. He was still breathing, but each breath was a struggle and it made her tear up. She shouldn't be the deciding force of whether he lives or not.

Marinette decided to take him back to her apartment. The hospital would have been ideal, but the risk of Chat transforming was too great. Carrying him as Ladybug was easy, but she desperately wished she could talk to Tikki. As soon as his body hit the couch, Tikki forced her to transform back and flew over to Chat's ear. She assumed her Kwami was conversing with Chat's on a level only they could hear.

Frantically, she sought out the first-aid kit she'd bought the night she moved into the apartment. It was a high-grade medical kit, including supplies for sutures. Exactly what she needed. Tikki was still whispering as she took a seat in the floor, spreading out what she needed.

"Oh, my god…" Marinette muttered as she prodded at the fabric of his torn suit. The tough leather was, except for magic, beyond repair. The skin beneath was no better. He would need a lot of stitches, and the scar left behind would be jagged and ugly. Hopefully his civilian-self didn't have a job that required him to show skin, like a model or something. The scissors failed to cut the tough fabric, so she looked at Tikki.

"Plagg could you…?" A flash of light blinded her for a second, and when the spots in her vision cleared Chat was left on the couch bare except for his boxers and his mask. Very helpful, but it brought tears to her eyes to how badly he was hurt. She had to bite her lip hard enough to draw blood to continue, and tried not to compare sewing the damaged flesh to some of her projects. After bandaging the area, Marinette packed the supplies back into the kit and washed her hands. Tears fell onto her shirt as she scrubbed her hands clean of the evidence. There was just so much blood, and the poison…

The poison! How could she forget something so important?

Tikki was still by Chat's head, talking to Plagg. She felt relief wash over her at the sight, and made a vow to do whatever she had to do to save her friend and partner. Chat had been there for her through so much, and a constant in her life for close to six years now. She would not let him die.

"Marinette, we've worked out something to help him. Part of the power of Chat Noir is to absorb the positive energy of those in close contact with him. That's why a touch of your hand can lighten his mood so quickly."

"So as much physical contact as possible will help fight the toxins?" Tikki nodded, and Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been prepared to hunt down Hawkmoth himself to find a cure, and if all she had to do was cuddle him she was more than willing. Even if that cuddling would be in minimum clothing. The air in the room chilled her skin as her clothing fell to the floor, and she idly wondered what the thermostat read. As she awkwardly climbed over Chat to lie between his body and the back of the couch, Tikki pulled the blanket over them. Marinette quietly thanked her and tried to get comfortable.

Honestly, it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Well, not to say that she believed it would be bad. She just never imagined herself in a position of any kind where she would be cuddling with her partner. Sure, she'd had  _those_  kind of thoughts about him, but dismissed them as fantasy. Before today she hadn't even known that it was possible to get rid of the suit and keep the mask. Not to mention knowing Tikki and Plagg would be present during those activities would be awkward.

Tikki had fallen asleep within minutes, leaving Marinette alone to think. Despite trying to remind herself she was in this situation because he was injured, Marinette was enjoying the time. His body was warm, and the steady beating of his heart was soothing. As she laid there, his heart beat grew stronger. Once she could count at least sixty beats per minute and the color had returned to his face, she felt he would be fine if she closed her eyes for a few minutes.

"Ladybug?" It only took a second for her to wake up, and another for her to frantically start checking him over. He was still paler than she'd like him to be, but it was hard to tell. It had gotten dark since she'd fallen asleep, and the only light source peaked through the cracked curtains from a street light.

"Chat? What's wrong?" Tikki disappeared, her mask materializing to hide her face. His eyes opened, but they weren't the sharp green she'd known for five years. They were dull and unfocused, struggling to maintain a single focal point.

"Something… Something's wrong. I can't—" He cut off and threw his hands up to hold his head, hissing in pain. She sat up the best she could without putting more pressure on him, her delicate hands covering his.

_It's the toxins. They're reaching his nervous system. Marinette, you need to give him energy to fight it. Plagg and I will disappear into the subconscious for a little while to give you both more power. You must do something, or he'll die._

Die. She would lose her partner, the man who had been with her through everything. Thoughts ran through her head at a frantic rate. What created energy? Exercise created it, but she couldn't exactly get him to run. She needed a form of exercise that she could do for him, or help him with most it. A thought hit, and she blushed.

"Chat? I can help you, but I'll only do it if you say yes." He struggled for a minute, before releasing his head and looking at her. There was so much pain in his eyes, and confusion. It broke her heart, and it enraged her at the same time. She made a mental note to begin actively hunting down Hawkmoth rather than waiting for an Akuma to appear.

"Part of Chat Noir and Ladybug, is that Chat can absorb energy from Ladybug. I can't take you to a hospital to get you an antidote, but there's a way to create enough energy to help you fight off the toxins, but we have to have sex." A moment of clarity seemed to wash over Chat, and he cupped her face.

"I've dreamt of making love to you for years, but I won't agree unless you want it too. Even if it means I'll die." A soft smiled spread across her face, and she caressed his cheek.

"The fact that you said making love, and not just sex, only makes me believe this is the right choice." She paused for a second to blush under the look he gave her.

"Chat are you sure?" He never answered. She watched in horror as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he went limp.

"Chat! Please, I can't do this if you're not awake, I mean, I can, but I really don't want my first time to be like this." She was sobbing, shaking him to get him to open his eyes. All the movement must have given him enough energy to wake back up.

At first, it was awkward. Chat couldn't really do much, leaving Marinette to do most of the work. As she moved, he slowly began to regain color. When his hands came up to grip her sides, she squeaked in surprise, and he gave her a sly grin. Thankfully, it didn't take long for his energy to build and he was flipping her over.

"Oh, watch your stitches!" She cried as he hissed at the pain, but compensated by thrusting even harder making her forget why they were even in this position in the first place. At one point, she shifted causing him to hit a spot that made her cry out in ecstasy. Vaguely she felt bad about the neighbors, but couldn't bring herself to care once Chat decided he needed to hear her more.

There was no coil building like she'd read about in books, but rather something just snapped and had her writhing in a blinding pleasure that she wanted to run from, but never let go at the same time. She heard 'my lady' echo through the room, and had to stifle a giggle at how it sounded. Part of her wished he had been saying her actual name, but it was too dangerous. Even after what they had just done. But Chat nuzzling her neck, and whispering endearments made it a little better. Most importantly, he was safe now.


	2. Awkward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's the next chapter!

It had been a week since the incident, and Chat was supposed to meet her to get his stitches taken out. Marinette had been cleaning everything she could reach all day, which was idiotic, considering it was already clean and he’d already been over. Part of her nervousness was not seeing him since that night, and not knowing how he was feeling. She was concerned about his wound, even though it was healing faster than a normal rate. He’d even called to ask if he could come do a patrol, or take the night so she could rest, and she’d screeched his ear off to stay put and in bed.

It made her want to believe that he was just as eager to see her, seeing as he wanted to patrol with her at first, but he could have been fibbing just to make her feel better. What if he hated her? She knew losing ones' virginity wasn’t such a big deal to a guy, but that wasn’t to say Chat wouldn’t be upset about it. For all she knew he was in a religion where premarital sex meant a one-way ticket to hell. These were the kinds of thoughts driving her to obsessively clean.

Eventually Tikki woke up, saw the panic Marinette was in, and flew to her. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to Ladybug and Chat Noir, but it was the first time that the duo wasn’t already a couple. Marinette’s panic made her want to reveal Chat’s real identity to her, but she knew it wasn’t her place. Only Adrian could make that decision.

“Marinette, do you need to talk about it before he gets here?” She felt her Kwami’s soft touch on her cheek and stopped.

“I’m just nervous. I mean… I did… Why is this so hard?” She threw her hands up in frustration and started pacing. Tikki had to grab onto the collar of her shirt to avoid falling.

“You can talk to me Marinette. I’ve been around for a very long time, and have dealt with a lot of situations like this.” She stopped her pacing and went out to sit on the balcony. The sun was just now rising, casting a beautiful glow over Paris.

Her apartment had an amazing view, and was thankful to Adrien’s dad for making it possible. He’d opened a position for an internship at his company, which also paid for her college and housing. Her parents could have sent her to college, but she would have been in the dorm’s rather than her own apartment. It took weeks of hard work, and rather than presenting the portfolio of her drawings at the interview, she’d presented the actual creations. The committee had been blown away by her hard work, and she walked away with three orders— one even being a dress for a chairwoman’s daughter’s wedding.

“So, what’s bothering you the most? No topic is off limits.”

“Well, first off I’m embarrassed. Not because it happened, but because I liked it so much. He was dying Tikki, and I liked what had to happen to save him.” She felt so bad for getting any type of pleasure out of his pain. At least she knew she wasn’t a sadist.

“You shouldn’t be embarrassed. He enjoyed himself too if you don’t remember.” That brought a blush to her cheeks. The red hand marks left on her hips the next morning was proof enough of that. But hearing it from someone else helped her to feel a little better.

“Okay, what about Adrian? I’ve been talking to him more lately, and I don’t stutter anymore! He might not want me if I’m not a virgin anymore.”

“Then he doesn’t deserve you. Next question.” That made her giggle, and she patted Tikki’s head affectionately.

“We’ve actually had another situation like this before. Chat was impaled with a sword—”

“A sword!?”

“He was fine, once Ladybug helped him. He came very close to dying, but the difference was they had already been married for a while.”

“Ladybug and Chat were married once?” Tikki nodded and smiled. While Marinette was one of her favorite charges, she missed her old friend. Talia had been a wonderful Ladybug, and had held on to the Miraculous until she physically couldn’t do the job anymore. The day she died was a hard one, but Tikki was glad she had been able to meet such a wonderful person. It wasn’t a week later that Daniel joined her. He’d refused to give up the ring until the day Talia gave up her earrings.

“They met as teenagers, just like you and Chat, and it didn’t take long for them to fall in love. Deciding the risk was worth it, they revealed their identities and realized they actually been in love with each other’s civilian forms as well. A few years later, they got married.”

“Did they ever have any kids?” Tikki shook her head.

“Talia couldn’t have children. They thought about adopting, but in the end decided to try to protect Paris and a child would be too much.” Marinette was sad at the thought, and idly thought if she could take care of Paris and have a family. She believed she could, but not until she was much older first. College was taking up her spare time, and she wanted to keep it that way.

“That’s really romantic that they loved each other in both forms.” Tikki had to hold back a snicker. If only Adrian and Marinette knew.

“So anything else bothering you?”

“He loves me, doesn’t he? It’s not just flirting like I thought it was. I almost forgot, but when I was asking if he was okay with it, he’s said something about wanting to make love for a long time. A guy just flirting doesn’t say something like that.” It made her flush again to say such words, but it also made her heart warm too. He loved her. But she loved Adrian. The thought made her frown, and absently play with the bracelet he’d gotten her for her birthday a few months ago. She liked Chat, but not as much as she liked Adrian.

“Marinette, it’s time to go get him.” She jumped up, squeaking to run and grab the blindfold. A quick command and she was jumping across town to fetch Chat.

By the time they made it back to her apartment, Chat was frantically trying to get the blindfold off. She felt bad for it, but the only way she could think to get him here was to blindfold him until they were inside.

“Sorry, I didn’t know—” Chat grinned and handed it back.

 “Really, it was fine. The ties from the back were tickling my neck and I wanted to bat at them so bad. It was driving me crazy!” She giggled, feeling less bad.

 “So, have they been doing well? Keeping them clean and dry?” Chat nodded, and started to fiddle with the zipper on his top. It took a good bit of self-control to not bite her lip at the sight of him shirtless, so she turned to get the scissors and some antiseptic.

 “Keeping dry, and clean, as per my lady’s instructions. They have been itching a bit though.”

 “That’s good, it means they’re healing. Usually they would have to stay in for two weeks but since you’re healing so fast…” She choked on her words and turned red. They both knew why it was healing quickly, and to talk about it with someone other than Tikki was difficult. Even if it was Chat.

 “I-I never got a chance to say thank you. For everything. So, thank you. You saved my life, when I’m supposed to be your shield.” It made her blush, but pushing aside her feelings she leaned forward to hug him.

 “Just never scare me like that again, okay?” His arms wrapped around her slender waist, and he rested his head in the crook of her neck. He nodded, and it made a few stray tears slip. Of course, he felt them since his shirt was off, and pulled back to look at her.

 It was that look in his eyes, one of pure concern and love, that made her realize she loved him too. Years of pushing him away was just a mechanism to help her cope with having two guys in her life that she really liked. Adrian seemed like the better choice, because he was a civilian. She could lead a normal life with him, but now after her talk with Tikki she wasn’t sure. If Talia and Daniel could have a long relationship without problems, then could she and Chat?

 “Before we do anything else, like get dinner maybe, could you get the stitches out? The thought of them is making my skin crawl.”

 “Oh, right! Sorry! I’ll get them out now.” He sighed in relief and lied down on the couch. Marinette made quick work of getting them out, and was pleased to see it had healed over for the most part. The jaggedness of the scar still made her frown, but she couldn’t help that. It was just the way the knife had gotten him. After she wiped it down and put a clean bandage over it, he sat up and put a hand over it.

 “This is gonna take some fancy explaining to my manager.”

 “Manager?” Now the she was considering giving her partner a chance, it only seemed fair that she finally allow herself some details about his civilian life. She’d blocked it out for so long, to protect him, but if she was going to allow herself to fall for him she wanted to know his real self too.

 “Oh, um, I’m actually a… You can’t tease me okay?” She nodded and leaned forward, eager to hear it now.

 "I’m a model.” She cringed, thinking about how she had hoped he wasn’t in that exact field of work.

 “I’m sorry I couldn’t make the lines neater.” He looked at her confused, and then understanding.

 “No, not you. You did wonderful. It probably would have been a lot worse had I tried to do it.” He rubbed his already messy hair and laughed.

 “So, do you know Adrian Agreste? He’s a good friend of mine.” He nodded, and she failed to notice the widening of his eyes. He’d known it was a possibility that he could know his Lady, but being friends with her? That wasn’t something he’s imagined. Surely, he would notice enough similarities between Ladybug and said friend to connect the dots? Pun intended.

 “Yeah, I do. He’s a pretty cool guy. Not as cool as me of course.” She grinned, and nudged his arm.

 “No, I guess not.” As she rose to clean up everything, he stared after her in amusement and slight jealousy. It was news to him that she preferred Chat over Adrian, but she obviously still liked Adrian. He could never forget finding the posters on Marinette’s wall, and the feeling of warmth when he realized she stuttered around him and avoided him because she was nervous. For a long time, he believed she didn’t like him, but in fact it was the opposite. Now he came to find out his Lady had feelings for him as well. He didn’t know what those feelings were yet, but he would try his hardest to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter coming in a few hours!


	3. Coq Au Vin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki shares some history of a past Ladybug and Chat Noir; Adrien and Marinette deal with revenge of some bad lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised! The notes will get better soon, I promise, I'm just working to getting this story on the same chapter that posted to FanFic.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

A month had passed since the incident, and while Chat and Ladybug hadn’t done anything like _that_ again, they’d gotten closer. Several dinner dates, short night trips to different parts of Europe when they weren’t patrolling, and movies nights later had made her fall hard for her partner. At first, she’d fought it. Falling in love with Chat was dangerous, and despite the story of Talia and Daniel, Marinette was still weary.

Loving him would eventually mean revealing their true identities. She wasn’t scared he wouldn’t love the real her. She reconciled that Ladybug and Marinette were both the same person, and in turn if Chat loved one he loved both. But it was because she loved him that she was scared to reveal identities. Hawkmoth would find out they were together one way or another, and use it against them. If he succeeded, Marinette wasn’t sure what would happen. The cat ring would be gone, and she would lose Chat.

She would lose Chat.

The thought alone made her nauseous, and she had to sit down. Maybe her feelings towards him ran deeper than she realized. He was her first kiss, and first lover. He was there to talk to when she was feeling down and unsure about herself. Yes, she had Alya, but with Chat she could tell almost everything. Once they knew each other’s civilian identities, she could tell him anything.

“Marinette, you should trust yourself. If Hawkmoth does find out about you two, I’m sure you could handle it. Love can make two people a lot stronger, and enables them to do things they never imagined they could do. If you want to tell him, then do it.”

“Is that why when the Ladybug and Chat Noir rings are together they create so much power? Because of love?”

“Yes. Chat’s Kwami is named Plagg. Plagg and I have been together since the beginning of the Miraculous’ creation and it’s because of our love that the earrings and ring together create an unstoppable power.” The thought made her happy and sad. Happy that her Kwami had a soulmate, and sad that they couldn’t spend all that much time together.

“If Chat and I got together, like for real, then you and Plagg could spend more time together.” Tikki smiled and nuzzled her cheek.

“Don’t decide based on Plagg and myself. Decide because it’s what you want. I’m gonna grab a cookie and head to bed, okay?” As she flew off to the kitchen, Marinette fell back into the cushions.

They would be stronger together if they gave into love. That new bit of information did help to ease her mind. Still, the risks were there. A few nights ago, she’d had a nightmare where Chat had been caught by Hawk Moth and right as she found him Hawk Moth killed him. Nausea washed over her again, forcing her to lie down. The building pressure in her skull hinted at an oncoming headache, so she threw an arm over her face and chose to rest for a little bit.

Marinette had only been asleep for an hour or so when a loud knock at her door roused her. As she stumbled over to answer it two things became apparent. Her headache had gone away, but the nausea was stronger. Lovely.

“Marinette? Please tell me you’re home.” She stopped for a moment in surprise. It was Adrian’s voice, and he sounded odd. Opening it, she quickly noticed why. His hair was a mess, looking like he went to bed with it wet. A white t-shirt and jacket were thrown on, the rest of him clad in pajama pants and sneakers.

“Oh, my gosh! What’s wrong?” Marinette grabbed his hand and led him inside to the couch.

“I’ve been sick, and I didn’t want to go home. But I’m not sure what to do, and every time I tried to google something I would get more nauseous.” Her heart went out to him. They gotten closer in college, and in turn she learned about his mother and his home life in general. She was sad he came to her for things like this, but at the same time grateful she could be there for him.

“I think, it was the lunch we ate today. Remember how I said the chicken tasted off after a few bites?” Adrian groaned and grabbed his stomach.

“And like an idiot I kept eating it while you asked for a different dish. That must be why you’re not as sick.” Between classes, they had run over to a new restaurant for lunch. Both ordered the coq au vin, and noticed something was off in the taste. Adrien, not being a baker’s child, didn’t have as sensitive a palate as Marinette and continued with his lunch. Marinette on the other hand returned the dish and ordered a soup instead.

“Oh Adrian. Just, don’t move, and I’ll be right back.” A trashcan, cool washcloth, cup of ginger ale, and a light blanket later, she returned to the couch right as he bolted towards the bathroom. Something told her she wasn’t going to make it in time, so she grabbed the hood of his jacket and shoved the trashcan in his hands. Adrien fell to his knees, and vomited into the can. She winced, the smell upsetting her own stomach, but she pushed it down and kneeled beside him to rub his back. Eventually he stopped, and groaned.

“Come on, let’s get you over here.” While Adrien wasn’t large, he was lean with muscle and that made him heavy. It would have been easier as Ladybug to get him to the couch, but for obvious reasons that wasn’t an option. Once settled, she brushed back his bangs and laid the washcloth on his forehead.

“That helps. How?” Marinette smiled softly, and Adrien had to push down memories of his mother giving him that same smile.

“No idea, but it helps. Can you sit up a little bit? Ginger ale settles an upset stomach.” He took the cup from her hands and sat up enough for her to slip a pillow behind him. After a few sips, she took the cup to set it on the table beside the couch, and threw the light blanket over him. He sighed, and closed his eyes.

“I still feel like shit, but I feel better at the same time. Um, I’m sorry for barging in on you like this.”

“I’m glad I could help. No one should have to be by themselves when they’re feeling down. Try to get some sleep, and if you need anything just yell. Goodnight Adrien.”

“Goodnight, Marinette.”

A few hours later, she awoke to her own stomach finally rebelling. She had hoped that by not eating a lot of the bad chicken, she would only suffer from an upset stomach. After scrambling from her bed and emptying the sparse contents of her stomach, she wandered to the kitchen for her own ginger ale and to check on Adrien.

To her surprise, he wasn’t asleep. He appeared to be trying to get up from the couch, but was holding his stomach with his eyes squeezed shut.

“Adrien, what are you doing? You need to lie back down!” Rushing over to him, he looked up in surprise.

“Are you okay? I heard you get sick, and I was going to come check on you.” She blushed, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

“Sorry, I didn’t think I’d woken you up. Then again, I also thought I was safe from the bad chicken’s revenge.” He laughed, and to her relief lied back down. Figuring she wasn’t going to sleep until she knew he was asleep first, she took a seat and leaned against the back of the couch. She nursed her own ginger ale, waiting.

“Again, thank you. I-I haven’t had anyone do anything like this for me since my Mom left.” It may have been dehydration or exhaustion, but she stood and helped Adrien to sit up again so she could sit down and placed his head on her lap. He started to say something, but stopped as soon as her fingers began running through his silky hair.

“Like I said earlier, I’m happy to help. No one should ever have to face the hard parts of life alone. Kind of like Chat Noir and Ladybug. They can fight without each other, but together they work the best. They help each other through the hard parts of the battles.”

“Interesting comparison, but a good one. Plus, I think they work well together just from chemistry alone. Anyone could see the love between them.” As soon as the words left his mouth, her blood ran cold. Anyone could see it? Did that mean Hawkmoth already knew?

“Do you think he really loves her that much?”

“Well yeah. I, um, mean he almost had a heart attack that one time she jumped into the t-rex’s mouth.” She grimaced, and wished Alya hadn’t caught that on film for her Ladyblog. But it did make her think about his reaction once she opened its mouth and stepped out. His hug had been tight, like he couldn’t bear to let her go.

“I bet he loves her so much, that he would marry her.” Marinette turned to ask him what he meant by that, only to find Adrien had drifted off again. She sighed, and decided to go to bed. First Tikki was encouraging her, and now Adrien was in an indirect way. It made her head hurt again, and between that and her stomach she just wanted to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4, coming soon!


	4. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien get an unexpected surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm almost caught up to the FanFic site chapter wise. Everything should be coordinated by tomorrow, and then the chapters will be posted regularly.

After that night with Adrien, Marinette decided to take a step back from everything for a while to just think. She thought about sending a message to Chat, but in the end decided to talk face-to-face was better.

She only had to wait a few nights before they could meet. She was sitting on the edge of a random building, staring out into the night sky, when the familiar soft thump of boots alerted her to his presence.

"My lady, it's nice to see you again." He bowed lowly, making her smile. She patted the spot beside her, and pulled out a fleece blanket from behind. Without hesitating, he slid beside her and threw the blanket around them. A leather clad arm slid around her waist, the brief cold of the material making her shiver.

"You haven't asked to meet like this in a while. Everything okay?" He asked, grabbing her hand and tracing patterns on it.

"Yeah, just a lot of stuff going on in my civilian life. It's hard to believe we've balanced everything for almost six years now." She felt Chat nod his agreement. "How's your side? It should be almost healed by now."

"100% again, thanks to you. I don't even think the scar will be all that noticeable after some time."

"I'm glad you're okay." She took a deep breath, and finally looked to meet his eyes. She secretly loved that green. Alya teased her she had a thing for men with green eyes once. Chat was smiling, eyes searching hers.

"Something's bothering you. Care to share, Princess?" She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Are we doing the right thing? We've kept everything a secret for this long, and it's worked. We haven't been personally blackmailed by Hawkmoth, and our families are safe." Chat's hand stopped moving as she spoke, but he didn't pull it away. He grasped it tighter, almost as if to keep her from pulling away.

"I'm not going to lie, I'm scared too. But, I'm mostly scared of losing you. If you need us to slow things down, just to take a step back and think over things for a while, I'm okay with that. As long as I can keep you in my life. I cannot lose you." The sincerity in her eyes made her warm, and the thinly veiled fear made her gasp his hand harder.

"I'm not going anywhere. Some time to think is exactly what I need. You'll be there when I'm tired of thinking, right?" He pulled her in close and started pressing playful kisses to her face. She giggled, but didn't try to push him away.

"I'll be here, always. However you'll take me." His words tugged at her heart, and she had to fight the tears gathering in her eyes.

That night, as she buried herself in bed, her heart was heavy but the nervous weight on her shoulders was lifted. She reasoned it was okay to let a few tears slip, and Tikki stayed close that night to comfort her.

Only a few weeks had passed, and her life was more hectic than usual. She was so stressed out between finals for university, and deciding what to do about her relationship with Chat, that she got sick frequently. Food never sat well with her, and it was starting to get on her nerves.

It got so bad that at one point she almost collapsed after class. The course was hands-on designing, meaning she was working, and on her feet for three hours straight. Her design had a lot of components and switching fabrics, and she needed to keep her mind sharp to avoid screwing up. Not wanting to have to stop in case she got sick, Marinette chose to avoid eating breakfast altogether. The class was important, and if she could get a good score on a timed dress project then she wouldn't have to take the written final— and that would be a huge weight off her shoulders.

Adrian was in the same class, conveniently stationed right behind her, and had noticed the way she would sway occasionally. Since he'd stayed at Marinette's, he was worried about her. While he was fine the next day, she'd still had lingering nausea. He wanted to stay and make sure she was fine, but ended up leaving after she insisted. Since then, he noticed she had seemed kind of off. Often she seemed tired, and lost focus easily.

As class dismissed, Marinette left with the paper in hand dismissing her from the final. She almost cried when the teacher handed it to her, smiling and telling her good work. All that was on her mind as she left was food and a nap, so she didn't hear Adrien calling her name. As he jogged to catch up to her, her vision tunneled and she grabbed the wall for support. Her legs would have given out had arms not looped around her waist and held her up.

"Marinette? Are you okay? You didn't eat this morning." He said it as a statement. She'd done this once before, back when they had just started university. It was their first round of midterms, and she'd been so nervous for a class she'd skipped eating all day. Marinette got dizzy, and ended up at Adrien's while he forced her to eat. It had actually been one of the moments that cemented their closer relationship.

"No, I didn't because of the test. I couldn't risk getting sick in middle of it so I skipped breakfast. I'll go eat now, promise." He shook his head, but released her from his hold.

"Nope, I'm supervising you the rest of the day. Is your place okay since it's closer?" She nodded, and before she could protest further, he took her hand and led her home. He made her food, ate lunch with her, and then left once he was satisfied she would be okay. What Adrien didn't know was that as soon as he left, Marinette rushed to the bathroom and threw up everything. She slept on the bathroom floor that night, crying every time she got sick while Tikki held her hair back.

Thankfully, for the rest of the week her nausea subsided. A few times her stomach would roll at the smell of chicken, but it would go away quickly. She caught up on her studies, and rolled through her finals with ease. It wasn't until the last one that she got sick again. The last ten minutes or so, she scribbled her answers out and threw it on the professor's desk.

She didn't miss the worried look on her professor's face, and made a mental note to email her and explain later. The bathroom was clean, so she didn't feel a bit grossed out to sit in the floor, back against the cool wall. Tikki sat on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek and wishing she could do something for Marinette.

Twenty minutes passed, and she finally heard knocking at the door, and managed a weak "Occupied". It snapped her out of it enough to realize she needed to go to the doctor. Being sick for this long obviously wasn't food poisoning, and if it was something as serious as cancer the earlier it was found the better. She snorted to herself, knowing it most likely wasn't that. After digging through her purse for a moment, Tikki dove in and came back out with Marinette's phone.

"Are you going to call the doctor?" She floated directly in front of her chosen, trying to figure out what could be wrong.

"No, but I'm going to call someone to take me there. Hopefully he's not busy."

~.~.~.~.~.~.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, I'm Doctor Smith. It's nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand to shake, which Marinette took and smiled back at her. She was very nice, and her demeanor helped Marinette to calm down. No doctor was going to come in so cheery and welcoming, just to tell her she had some rare disease or something incurable.

"May I ask who this is?" Dr. Smith gestured to the chair beside the table. Adrien straightened up from his slouch, giving the doctor a smile.

"I'm Adrien. It's nice to meet you." Dr. Smith smiled, and turned back to look at Marinette's chart. Adrien mouthed out something along the lines of "She didn't recognize me," and grinned. She shook her head, smiling too. He secretly loved when someone didn't know who he was.

"So, I've got good news. The main cause of your nausea is irritation of the lining in your stomach. Is there anything that would have you stressed out lately?"

"I just finished taking my finals for university." Dr. Smith nodded, and scribbled notes down.

"That would definitely cause high levels of stress. I'll prescribe you a medicine to take for a few weeks to build the lining in your stomach back up, and allow you to eat without getting sick." Marinette bit her lip.

"Um, actually, could I just wait it out? I'm not fond of taking medicine unless I have to." Dr. Smith smiled, and sat down on the chair across from Marinette and Adrien. The young adults exchanged looks of worry. No one ever gave them that look, unless they were receiving news that wasn't good.

"Usually, I would encourage such a view, but not in this case." Marinette felt her stomach turn, and eyed the trashcan in the corner of the office. Dr. Smith noticed, and slid it closer with her foot.

"Does it have to do with the 'other' cause of nausea?" Adrien hadn't missed her earlier words, and had been pondering over them. Marinette being sick for over two weeks made him very worried. He was happy when she finally broke down, and asked him to take her to the clinic. There was a campus one, but he neither trusted it as much as a physician's office.

"Yes. You're about a month and a half pregnant, Marinette. Congratulations." It took about three seconds for the words to process, and Marinette lunged for the trashcan. Adrien immediately moved to keep her hair out of the way, and looked to Dr. Smith. She looked sympathetic, but something told him it was because Marinette was sick rather than the news of her being pregnant.

"B-but I'm on the p-pill, and other precautions. How did this e-even?" It wasn't often Marinette's stuttering made an appearance these days, but in times of extreme confusion or distress she couldn't help it. Right now definitely qualified.

"Well, not all contraceptives are effective, although they do have a 99% prevention rate. Sometimes these things still happen though, and there are other options if you're not ready to have a baby." Marinette tensed, automatically wrapping her arms around her waist.

"What? No! No, I could never. I-I'm keeping it." Dr. Smith smiled and turned back to her chart, making more notes. When she turned back to them, she held out a prescription.

"This is for your stomach, take it once a day for the next week, and you shouldn't have any nausea outside of the usual morning sickness. If you do, don't hesitate to give me a call. I have a special phone for my expecting patients, so I'll give you that number to contact me with should there be any emergencies." Since Marinette was still in shock, Adrien leaned forward to take the card from Dr. Smith.

"You also need to stop at a pharmacy and pick up some prenatal pills. They're special vitamins to help you and the baby get enough nutrients. No high amounts of caffeine, and definitely no alcohol or raw meats of any kind." Marinette was thankful Adrien was here, no matter how embarrassing it was to have your crush find out you're pregnant when you do, because she only caught about half of the information. Knowing him, he caught every word and was already mapping out routes to the pharmacy.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but you seem like you have a good guy here. He'll help you, so don't go thinking this is all on you to worry about. After all, it takes two to make a baby, no?" Marinette opened her mouth to tell the doctor Adrien wasn't the father, but he spoke first.

"Don't worry, I won't let her. Like you said, we got into this adventure together." Dr. Smith smiled, and stood.

"I'd like to see you again in this week for a proper ultrasound, and then after that in three months. We should be able to tell the gender at that appointment. I'll see you two soon, and again if you have any questions or problems call me. Have a good day." Marinette wanted to puke again, but not because of her stomach this time.

"Oh wait!" Marinette spoke, Dr. Smith stopped, turning to face them.

"I may have eaten some bad chicken a few weeks ago. Just a few pieces, but would that have hurt anything?" Marinette twisted at the hem of her shirt, worried she had already screwed up her child before even getting used to the idea of being pregnant.

"No, you should be okay. Especially since it was just a piece or two. Make sure to double check food from now on though, okay?" Marinette nodded, and Dr. Smith left.

As they left, Adrien made the appointment for later in the week, managing to coax her into giving him specific times that would be best. She stayed silent, nodding at his questions. The receptionist gave her a sympathetic look, and she chose to shut her eyes and lean on the wall until the appointment was set.

Finally, they exited and walked back to Adrien's car, Marinette almost missing it she was so far gone in thoughts. He had to grab her hand, and guide her around the proper way before her mind snapped back to reality.

"Marinette, I'm so sorry." They were on their way to the pharmacy, but currently stuck in traffic. Marinette had still been totally silent, and Adrien mulling over what to say.

"Why? I got myself into this mess. Why are you being so nice to me about this anyway? This could be bad for your image, and your Dad would lose his mind at a pregnancy rumor. If the nurses or Doctor had recognized you we may have had a problem." She contemplated getting out of the car and walking, just to avoid the conversation, but Adrien would just lock the doors and force her to stay.

"Forget my image. I'm not the one pregnant, and carrying an entire other human. Besides, I'm not leaving you alone in this, Mari. This is my fault anyway." He muttered the last part, and she snapped to look at him.

"Your fault?" He didn't answer at first, waiting until the light changed and the car began to move.

"Sorry, that came out wrong. Just wait until we get you home, okay?" His posture was stiff, and he refused to look her in the eye. It made her nervous.

"Okay…" She had no idea what he was talking about, or hiding, but decided it was best to leave it alone for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small cliffhanger for you all, but I'm sure you guys can handle a small wait. Thanks everyone for reading, bookmarking, and/or leaving a kudos! I can feel the love!


	5. You're Joking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien lets Marinette in on his secret knowledge, and she doesn't react like he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this chapter we are all caught up! Thanks everyone who's been following the story, and for your loyalty, I present the (kind of) reveal chapter!

When Chat Noir would come over, Marinette moved her furniture around and changed up the decorations enough to make the apartment look like someone else's just in case she was friends with his civilian form. She even went as far as buying different covers for the couches to change up their appearance, and exchanging out the lamp heads. It worked well for a long time, even if she was sad Chat couldn't just pop in on her like he had when she was in high school.

_"Come on Princess, why won't you tell me where you're going?"_

_"Because it's dangerous for me. The apartment isn't to the outskirts of the city like the bakery. Hawkmoth could watch you easily, and find me. You wouldn't want him to use me as leverage. Right Chat?" Marinette rummaged through her closet for another suitcase, unable to see the expression on his face. If she'd turned around, she would have seen the disappointment etched on his face._

_"I supposed you're right. I'll miss you." She popped out, holding a duffle bag._

_"Oh Chat, I'll miss you too." She dropped the bag, and went to embrace him. His arms wrapped tightly around her, and she secretly loved it. As Ladybug she couldn't let her affection show through, but as Marinette, she could hug him as much as she wanted to._

_"We can still meet up occasionally. Right?" He sounded scared almost, and she pulled away._

_"Absolutely. We'll figure something out."_

Marinette hadn't been fibbing whens he pointed out her new location would be easily exposed, but she also wanted to be able to have a safe place to help Chat. They'd been lucky in high school, neither getting injured enough to required the other's help. However, that could change with any battle. If she needed to give up her identity to help him, she would, but if she could keep the secret that would be wonderful.

But that night they got sick, as she sat with him and talked, Adrien realized he had seen this ceiling before. There was a spot painted over on the ceiling, presumably from damage via a previous tenant. The color wasn't matched well, white standing out starkly against the paler eggshell color. Usually no one would notice the imperfection, unless they were lying on the couch.

Now Adrien Agreste had been lying on her couch on two different occasions, as two different people. The first time he had been literally dying from poison, the second feeling like he was going to die from sickness. Both times a pretty dark-haired woman had been his savior, but it wasn't until the second experience on the couch that he realized it was the same woman. His Ladybug was also Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Throughout the years, he'd always imagined a big reveal between the two of them. It would be emotional, and they would laugh how they had been so close to each other for so many years. Maybe he would even have the courage to ask the girl behind the mask on a date.

Instead, he found out by accident, and reluctantly kept the information to himself. He'd discussed it briefly with Plagg the next day when he returned to his own apartment, but in the end realized he had subconsciously known for a few years. Plagg explained part of their magic kept other's from noticing who they really were, including other Miraculous holders, so obvious factors like her hair and eyes didn't make him feel like an idiot. It was all the other things.

The way she bit her lip when trying to think of a solution, and then the way the tip of her tongue stuck out while she was implementing aforementioned solution. The concern she showed for victims as Ladybug, and the concern Marinette showed for her friends. The way she stood up to bullies like Chloe. So many mannerisms were the same, but he hadn't been able to put the pieces together until that night.

When he realized his Lady was also the woman he considered a very close, if not one of his best friends, it was difficult to stay away from her. In class, he watched her closely and a few times he followed her home just to make sure she got there safe. Seeing as she was a superhero, she obviously could have handled anything, but still he worried. She was so protective about her identity, and he could see her getting hurt rather than transform to save herself.

Most nights he wondered how he would tell Marinette he knew who she was, but come the next day always chickened out of whatever plan he'd come up with. What if she was angry enough at him to end the partnership? It was a bit extreme, but not impossible. She hadn't managed to keep their identities from each other for five years for nothing.

Now he  _had_  to tell her. She was pregnant, and it was  _his_. All Marinette knew was that the baby was Chat's, and knowing her she would wait to tell Chat until she couldn't hide it any longer. She's spout some nonsense that Hawkmoth would find them because of the baby, and distance herself. He didn't want that. If it were up to him, she would move in with him immediately, and he would take care of them both.

It still felt weird to think he was going to be a father. They were 21, so they were the age other couples were starting their family. Of course, some would be angry that they weren't married, but you weren't raised in media as he was and not get tough skin. His father would be seething angry, and demand Adrien either choose the Agreste fortune or Marinette and his child, or he would be accepting but demand they get married.

Marriage. The word kept floating in his mind. Would Marinette even want to get married? She designed a lot of wedding dresses, but would she want to wear one herself? He'd never heard her talk about it, but then again that was something she would talk about with Alya. Not him. Plus, she was focused on her studies. He'd seen her design room in her apartment. It was a small space, cramped with fabrics and mannequins. Often her finished pieces took residence in her living room or bedroom until they were delivered to the buyer. She was already a serious designer, and hadn't even graduated yet.

She probably wanted to be a world-famous fashion designer before thinking about any of that. He felt bad about ruining that plan, but if she wanted to stick to it that bad she would have wanted to abort or get rid of the baby. But she hadn't hesitated in wanting to keep the baby.

"Adrien? Is everything okay?" Her worried voice brought him back from his thoughts. He was sitting on the couch, staring off into space as she made beverages. Now Marinette was sitting across from him on the ottoman, holding out a cup of herbal tea. He's been silent since his outburst in the car, beating himself up for almost spilling the beans.

"I should be asking you that. Are  _you_ okay?" He spoke softly for some reason. She frowned and looked down at her lap.

"I think so. I mean, I'm worried of course. Who wouldn't be when they find out they're pregnant, planned or not? Plus, I need to tell the father. I'm not sure how he'll react." She sounded so unsure, and it was a stark contrast to her usually bubbly personality. He wanted to open his mouth and just tell her. In fact, he started to, but two green eyes peeking from his collar caught his attention. A subtle shake of Plagg's head stopped him.

"Why don't you practice with me? It might make you feel better, and I can offer suggestions." He improvised. She snorted, and took a sip of her tea.

"You don't even know who he is. Or how all of this," She gestured at her stomach, "even happened."

"Well I know it either happened because you really love him, or some other circumstances. This wasn't a product of some stupid decision. You're really smart, and you don't make reckless decisions."

"You have a lot of faith in me." He gave her a smile and set aside his drink to take her hands.

"You earned it." It was simple, but it seemed to do the trick. Marinette smiled, and gave his hands a squeeze before moving to sit on the couch.

"I do love him, a lot actually. I'm really hoping he'll be happy about this. If he isn't I can manage without him, but it would be amazing if we could all be a family." It took everything in him not to lunge forward and kiss her. She wanted this! It wasn't planned and messed up all her previously laid out plans, and yet, she still wanted it. Before he could spill the secret, she dismissed him for the night.

"Thank you, for everything today Adrien, but I really should be getting to bed. You're more than welcome to stay the night again since it's so late." He nodded, and she left to her bedroom with a small smile.

As Adrien was reentering the apartment from retrieving his emergency overnight bag from his car, he heard a familiar ringing noise. It was the sound of their Miraculous weapons trying to call one another, but hers wouldn't connect unless he was transformed too. He started to make a mental note to try and contact her first thing tomorrow once he left, or even sneak out to transform quickly, but a quiet sob changed his mind.

"Marinette?" He knocked softly, and gave her enough time to transform back before opening the door. Barging in while she was Ladybug wouldn't end well. She laid on her bed, curled up, trying to hide her tears behind the pillow clutched in her arms. Unable to just stand there, Adrien took the risk and slid into bed with her. To his shock, she didn't hesitate to turn over and bury her face against his chest.

They'd came so far from the bumbling messes they were in high school, and while the situation wasn't the greatest, he still was happy to have Marinette as a friend. He could recall the loneliness he felt before high school, and it made his heart ache. Now, Marinette trusted him enough to pour her heart out to him.

"I tried calling him, but he won't answer. I asked him to give me s-some space for a while, and he promised he'd be waiting. Ready to talk when I was. I'm scared I made him wait too long, and now I can't tell him about the baby and I'm not sure what to do." A hard sob shook her small frame, and it made up his mind.

"Marinette, he already knows. He found out he same moment you did." He took a gamble telling her this way, but she was distraught, and it hurt him to see her hurting. It took a moment for his words to sink in, but once they did she punched him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliffhanger, but I promise I'll post soon! Again, thank you everyone!


	6. Revealed at Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paris's new parents make a game plan, and we see our favorite guardian, Master Fu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for all the kudos! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and from here on out we'll be getting into the actual plot of the story.

Marinette punched Adrien, scurrying off the bed to stand across the room. He groaned, holding his face, and she felt slightly bad about it for a second. Maybe she shouldn't have punched him that hard. Or in the face. Then again, she just found out Chat Noir was Adrien, and felt entitled to her anger.

"How long have you known?" Her voice wavered, and she bit her lip to keep from crying. She wasn't sure whether she was truly hurt, or the pregnancy hormones were messing with her already. Maybe it was a mix of both.

"Since the night I got the food poisoning. There's a patched spot on the ceiling, and the color's off. I noticed it the night you saved my life, and then again when I came over for help. Then I started piecing things together, and it all made sense. I was going to keep it to myself, because you always were so adamant about keeping our identities a secret, but then the baby." Unable to respond at the moment, Marinette turned on her heel and went to the kitchen for an ice pack. As she grabbed it, she felt incredibly stupid for not realizing the two men in her life were one in the same.

Between the hair, the eyes, the mannerisms it should have been plain as day. How many men in Paris had blonde hair and green eyes for pete's sake? As she rummaged for an ice pack, Marinette couldn't help but laugh. While the whole situation was ridiculous, it was convenient.

She'd been stressing all afternoon about telling Chat. It would lead to an identity reveal, then explaining everything, and they would have to figure out what to do. Chat had a good heart, but that didn't mean he'd want to be a father. She wasn't going to force him into anything he didn't want, but now it wasn't a problem.

Adrien easily could've ran the moment Dr. Smith told them the news, but he didn't. He stuck around, even if he didn't immediately tell her the truth. That had to mean something, and while she wasn't sure exactly what, she liked to believe it was good.

As she shut the bedroom door behind her, Adrien put down his phone. He'd been checking his reflection in it, trying to assess the damage. Another twinge of guilt made her frown, and moved forward to catch his attention.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to hit you, I was just really emotional." Marinette sat on the edge, handing over the ice pack. He gratefully took it, and pressed it to his cheek. Thankfully, she missed his nose, and with some luck his eye wouldn't blacken. Idly she wondered how much trouble he'd been in with his publicist for the scar on his side.

"I'm okay. Are you okay?" He asked, and she blinked in surprise.

"I just hit you, in the face, and you're asking if I'm okay?" The thought made her laugh, Adrien joining in.

"Well, yeah. Some mangy stray got you pregnant, because he couldn't do his job." While his words sounded like he was joking, she could hear something else in his voice. It sounded almost like regret and shame.

"Adrien, no. Please don't think that. Sure, I wish you hadn't gotten hurt, but that's because I hate seeing you in pain. What has happened, happened, and I'd rather this," Marinette gestured to her stomach, "happen than lose you. Marinette needs Adrien, and Ladybug needs Chat. So please don't beat yourself up about this." At the end of her speech, she grabbed his hand and squeezed.

"I still feel guilty. You had all these big dreams to be a designer, and now…" Marinette stood suddenly, catching his attention. She began to pace the floor, muttering to herself. Adrien watched with interest, as she didn't seem angry or upset like he thought she should be.

"You know, this doesn't really hurt anything. I can graduate early, next semester actually, if I drop the extra concentration. I didn't really need it, I just wanted to make my résumé look better. Which honestly, being in the program under your Dad takes care of that problem. All I really need to do is take better care of myself." She stopped pacing and turned to look at him, a bright smile on her face.

"Everything is going to work out." It was that hope and optimism that made Adrien's heart stop. She was so beautiful, talented, and her positive attitude brought everything together. It was still beyond him how he failed to connect Ladybug and this wonderful girl for so many years.

"I'll be here. I mean, uh, I'm not going to run off or anything. Whatever you need, I'll get it for you. I know babies are really expensive, and I don't want you to stress yourself out trying to make extra money." He knew he was babbling, but he couldn't come up with anything to say. Marinette realized this, and sat down on the bed. Her hand sought Adrien's and grasped it firmly.

"I know you will. For now, let's just take everything one step at a time. Okay?" He nodded, and she kissed his cheek before resting her head on his chest.

"So now that that's all settled, I believe introductions are in order." Plagg and Tikki floated in the room, smiling at their respective chosen. Marinette laughed, holding her hand out for Tikki to land on.

"I'm Tikki, Marinette's Kwami. It's nice to finally be able to properly meet you, Adrien." He decided he immediately liked the small creature. She was so sweet and polite compared to his Kwami.

"I'm Plagg. It's nice to meet you too, Marinette. Lover boy here's pined over you for so long, that I was beginning to think he would never confess to you."

"Plagg!" Adrien flushed, making Marinette laugh.

"Now that everyone is acquainted, we do have something to talk to both of you about." The unusual seriousness in Plagg's voice made both adults pay attention. Although Marinette had only known Plagg for about a minute, she could tell his attitude was similar to Chat Noirs— playful and focused on having fun.

"Yes. Marinette, I know you were planning on actively pursuing Hawkmoth, but I believe you'll agree with me that we need to put that on hold for now." Tikki said, watching as Marinette started to mull things over. She'd actually been planning on using her winter break for the task, but obvious reasons prevented her from going after the villain.

"You're right, Tikki. I'm not sure what to do now though."

"There's no way I'm going to let you fight anymore!" Adrien sat up from the headboard, ice pack falling to the floor. She started to retort she could handle herself just fine, but instead of defiance she found fear on his face. It deflated some of the anger, but not all of it.

"I can take care of myself, thank you, but I don't feel comfortable fighting either. Tikki, I know Daniel and Talia didn't have kids, but what about other Ladybug and Chat Noirs? What did they do?"

"It depended on the circumstance. Some didn't have to worry about a large threat like Hawkmoth, other's chose to surrender their Miraculous back to the keeper to raise their children, and some temporarily passed it along until they could resume active duty." Marinette mulled it over, catching Adrien's glance from the corner of her eye.

The idea of giving up Tikki made her cringe, so giving up the Miraculous was out of the question. However, Hawkmoth was sending increasingly dangerous Akumas out, and she couldn't risk herself getting injured or her child.

"Who could take it while I can't protect Paris?" Adrien sighed, and finally relaxed again.

"We need to go see Master Fu. He would direct us to someone with a pure heart to handle the earrings, but willing to let them go again once the time comes." Tikki floated over to sit on Marinette's shoulder, caressing her cheek. It made her sad to think she would be separated from Marinette, but she wanted the baby to be safe just as much as it's parents did.

"Okay. We can go see him in the morning, if that's okay with you." Adrien asked, looking to Marinette. She nodded, thinking the same thing. The sooner they could find someone, the better.

The next morning, they both woke up early. Things were awkward for a few minutes as they moved around the small kitchen for breakfast, until Marinette tripped and threw an entire bag of flour into the air. As the tiny white particles settled on everything, they burst out laughing, and the tension melted.

Once the mess was cleaned up, and they were ready for the day, it was still quite early. Plagg and Tikki had to reassure them multiple times that Master Fu would be awake, and they wouldn't be bothering him by visiting so early. Adrien had only gotten the chance to knock once before the door was thrown open, and the small Chinese man was welcoming them.

"Marinette! Adrien! How nice to see both of you. Together?" Master Fu questioned, leaning forward with a grin. Marinette flushed red, rubbing her neck awkwardly. Adrien just grabbed her free hand, grinning back at the older man.

"Wonderful! Now please, come in. Wayzz will be thrilled to see Tikki and Plagg again." They followed him into a sitting room, where tea was already prepared. Three cups were sitting out, ready to be filled, and a small plate with cookies and cheese sat off to the side.

It didn't take Plagg long to smell the cheese, and happily fly from Marinette's purse. Tikki followed quickly after, hissing to Plagg about manners. Wayzz joined them, and left the humans to discuss their own matters.

"So, what brings you both to visit an old man on such a cold day?" The day was cold, Adrien insisting they take the car instead of walking due to the temperatures. It was only the first week in December, and the temperatures were enough to chill anyone to the bone within minutes.

"We have a, well, I don't want to label it as a problem…" Marinette trailed off, searching for a better word. "A situation. We have a situation, and Tikki recommended we come speak with you, Master Fu." He nodded, signaling for her to continue.

"We're expecting." She said it simply, shocking Adrien with the ease she spoke. Master Fu's eyes lit up, a smile crossing his features.

"Well then, congratulations are in order. I always love when the Miraculous holders become a family. It not only strengthens their powers, but also Tikki and Plagg as well."

"Tikki told me a bit about that a few weeks ago. Have there been many Chat Noir and Ladybugs to become couples?" Marinette asked, taking a sip of her tea. It was delicious, and helped to chase away the cold that had nipped at her between the car and entering Master Fu's home.

"Quite a few have, but they always have a good relationship. However, I do not believe you have come to me with questions of the past. Perhaps an answer to the future?" Adrien and Marinette nodded, clasping hands.

"Hawkmoth has been getting more dangerous and sometimes brutal in his attacks. Lately, he's been willing to kill in order to the Miraculous from us. Neither of us is comfortable with her fighting until the baby is born." Adrien said, squeezing her hand, thinking to their last fight. They'd been lucky no more Akumas had been released since then, but it also made them jumpy. Having so much time between each attack felt like a time bomb just waiting to go off.

"Tikki has undoubtedly reviewed your options with you, Marinette. By Adrien's words, you've decided to pass the earrings off until your child is born. Correct?" She nodded. Master Fu looked pleased, especially since she wasn't willing to give up the Miraculous forever.

"I've had my eye on a young woman, who I think would make an excellent holder for the Fox Miraculous. However, I'm cautious to assign Trixx, due to the incident with that young woman. Distrust between Miraculous holders can cause problems, sometimes deadly." Marinette had the urge to let go of Adrien's hand at the mention of Lila, but didn't.

"She's actually a close friend to both of you. Her name is Alya Césaire." Shock ran through them, but the solution (like Adrien being Chat Noir) was quite elegant. Alya was a close follower of all things Miraculous, but would keep a secret if she had to.

"So, Alya would hold onto the earrings until I have the baby, then when I get them back she would get the Fox Miraculous?" Master Fu nodded, and Marinette smiled.

"She is going to be so psyched to be Ladybug for a while." Master Fu laughed at Marinette's words. He was well aware of the Ladyblog, and found it quite entertaining. It was very clear and concise reporting, and helped to debunk nasty rumors some of the Paris paparazzi tried to pin on the superhero duo. Wayzz had been concerned that her reporting would take precedence over her sense of duty, but he knew better. The young woman would do well, and Marinette trusted her, making the process easier.

"She lives close by, so seeing Tikki wouldn't be that difficult. This works out pretty well." Adrien pondered, smiling at Marinette. While Plagg was annoying sometimes, he couldn't imagine not seeing him for months on end.

"So how do we do this?" Marinette questioned, finishing off her tea.

"However you would like, so long as the secret remains just that— a secret." She smiled, nodded at him, and looked to Adrien with a smile. She was right. Everything would work out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may not update this weekend, but miracles do happen do keep an eye on your bookmarks if you have it set!


	7. New Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!

Chapter 7: New Plan

“I’ve been thinking.” Adrien was seated at her table, slowly peeling a potato.

Plagg and Tikki were sleeping in the sunlight of the window, basking in the warmth the sun provided. She was making a homemade stew recipe her uncle sent, and Adrien had volunteered to help by dicing the carrots and potatoes.

He was undoubtedly the slowest peeler she’d ever seen, but she knew such things took practice. Being raised in the mansion, he’d never helped in the kitchen or learned how to cook beyond pouring a simple bowl of cereal. Since college, he’d become more proficient with her help but still called often to ask how to make a recipe.

“Yeah?” She turned to face him, shifting the mixing bowl to rest on her hip.

“I don’t think we should give the earrings to Alya. Not because I don’t trust her, I do, it’s just I don’t like leaving you defenseless. With the earrings, you can at least run if you need to because I can’t be by your side all day, and I would feel better if you had a Plan B. I already asked Master Fu, and he said it was okay to give Alya the necklace. That way I’ll still have a partner to help me, but you’ll be safer.” Marinette sighed and turned back to mixing the dough for the dumplings.

“I wish you would have discussed this with me before seeing Master Fu.” She couldn’t keep the anger out of her voice. Even though she didn’t want to, she was willing to give up being Ladybug for a while for the sake of her child.

“I’m sorry, Mari. I had the idea walking home from the store, and I took the chance to visit Master Fu. He seemed pleased with the idea.” She felt arms slide around her middle, and his chin rest on her shoulder.

Despite only recently making their relationship official, Adrien was very touchy. She didn’t mind, finding herself enjoying the affection, and let out another sigh before relaxing into his hold. He was only trying to help, so she should be grateful he cares enough to think of her safety and be prepared for it.

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped. Do you think Alya would be enough? The Fox Miraculous doesn’t match with Chat as well as it does Ladybug. If she had the earrings, _you_ would safer. I’m not sure I can stay out of the fight if one of you were to get hurt, and I would have to watch so I could cure the Akuma.” She realized her earlier defensiveness was actually concern for him and her friend.

On one hand if she kept the earrings, Hawkmoth would have a harder time getting the earrings and the ring. He would have to work harder to catch them both if she hung out on the sidelines until it was time to catch the Akuma. On the other, she would be a sitting duck until the end of the battle and if Hawkmoth figured out she was an easy target, then she would have no choice but to run. As much as she would like to think the man had a heart, she couldn’t afford to assume he would take it easy on his enemy just because she was expecting.

“Master Fu is looking for someone to take the Bee Miraculous. He didn’t want to at first, but with Hawkmoth becoming a bigger threat than usual he feels it would be safest.” He added hastily, pulling away to go back to peeling the potatoes.

That eased her mind a little. All the Miraculous had a counterpart that amplified their powers— the Cat and Ladybug, the Bee and Fox, and the Moth and Peacock. The Turtle was the exception, acting as the protector of all the Miraculous. If they gave Alya the necklace, she would have a partner holding the comb eventually. The thought settled Marinette’s mind, and she continued preparing dinner.

After dinner they settled on the couch, a movie playing quietly in the background. Adrien sat on one end, and Marinette lied on her back with her head resting on his lap. He ran his finger through the soft strands, nails occasionally scratching pleasantly against her scalp.

Although she hadn’t left the apartment all day, Marinette was exhausted. She finished both her wedding dress orders well before the brides had expected and started on a simple prom dress for a friend of Alya’s. The work wasn’t physically taxing, but the concentration and patience required sapped her energy. Now that she was pregnant, she found herself dragging well before dinner.

They needed to decide who to tell and when, and the finer details of how their relationship started. She couldn’t tell her parents she was Ladybug and she’d had to save Chat Noir’s life by having sex with him. The thought amused her, and she let out a soft laugh drawing Adrien’s attention.

“What are you thinking about?” His voice was low, as if he didn’t want to disturb the peaceful bubble they’d created.

“We need to decide what we’re gonna do.” She felt Adrien tense, then relax and resume playing with her hair.

“I’ll do whatever you want. Just tell me what needs to be done, and I can make it happen. My bank accounts are mine, so my father can’t see any transactions. I can get you a debit card to use if you’d like.” She was touched Adrien was willing to give her full access to what she knew had to be a massive bank account.

“Don’t go crazy.” She giggled, opening her eyes to look at Adrien. He was staring down at her with a fond smile, and she couldn’t help but return the look.

“I have plenty tucked away from projects the board personally requested. One of the wedding dresses I finished today was requested by a chairman’s daughter, and I still have a few more orders to fill. Thank you for offering though.”

“Still, let me help. She’s my daughter, and I want to be there for both of you.” Marinette raised an eyebrow at the comment but didn’t stifle her smile.

“You said 'daughter'. You think it’s a girl?” Adrien nodded. He was obviously embarrassed to admit it out loud, but she found it adorable. Maybe the universe was doing her a favor, and decided it was high time Ladybug and Chat Noir became a couple.

“I think it’s a boy with your eyes. I hope he looks just like you and is just as selfless and kindhearted. I know you feel a small sense of obligation to us, but you didn’t have to stay. You could’ve pretended you didn’t know who I really was and left me to raise the baby on my own.

“However, you’re here, in my apartment, making me fall even further in love with you.” Tears welled in her eyes without warning, and she quickly wiped them away.

“I love you too Marinette, so much. I could never have predicted out lives turning out like this, but I wouldn’t change it. I already love our little girl and I haven’t seen her yet.” She didn’t try to stop the tears this time, letting a watery laugh escape. Adrien tugged her to sit on his lap, tightly wrapping his arms to hold her close against his chest.

“I’m worried about telling your father and my parents.” She revealed, snaking her arms around his neck. His cologne flooded her senses in a whirl of scents making her want to nuzzle his neck, but she refrained in order to listen.

“Me too. Well, not your parents so much as my Dad. Every time I came over to the bakery they tried to stuff me full of pastries, and they would always comment how cute we looked together.” She’d always thought he hadn’t caught her parent’s gentle nudges to ask her out.

“How about we figure out how to tell Alya, then we’ll worry about our parents. The baby’s safety comes first no matter what, and right now we need her to join the team, so I won’t worry about you getting your butt kicked again.” She pecked his cheek and smirked.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

They met Alya the next day for lunch, inviting her over for Marinette’s special pasta and desert puffs. She accepted with enthusiasm, arriving a whole hour early on the grounds she could help so lunch would be ready faster. Marinette had been excited to cook with her, but quickly came across a problem when it came time to eat when Alya pulled out a bottle of wine from her bag.

“I remember how much you liked this when they served it during the first fashion week your designs were in, and brought it to celebrate!” She opened the bottle before Adrian or Marinette could stop her, pouring copious amounts into three glasses that seemed to appear from thin air.

“What are we celebrating?” Marinette questioned, not touching the glass is it slid to rest next to her plate.

“You two are finally dating! Why else would you invite me over for a random lunch on a Wednesday? I know it’s winter break, but Adrien you’re usually traveling for photo shoots and Marinette I can hardly drag you from your design room. The two of you together during this time is odd, so I bought the bottle just in case. Then the saw two toothbrushes in the bathroom earlier and I knew it was true!” Alya was beaming with pride, a look Marinette was familiar with every time Alya got a good scoop for the news or managed to get a photo published on the front page of a magazine.

“Well, you’re not wrong but you’re not completely right either,” Adrien said before he could stop himself from causing Marinette to elbow his ribs, shooting him a sharp glance.

When she looked back to the brunette, she had an eyebrow raised and her arms crossed. Marinette toyed with the idea of getting her to wait for the news until after dinner but judging from the looks they were getting that wasn’t going to happen.

“We are dating, but there’s a bit more to the story. Before I tell you anything, I need your phone.” She held out her hand, waiting patiently until Alya caved and dropped the device into her palm. Once it was turned off and in her back pocket, she turned to Alya and slowly pushed her glass of wine away. Intelligent as she was it only took seconds for Alya to spring.

“Oh my god you’re pregnant! Marinette! Adrien! I can’t believe neither of you told me you were seeing each other for so long, let alone that your relationship had progressed to that stage! I mean I’m not mad, because I won the bet with Nino, but I’m a little upset I was kept in the dark so long.” She babbled.

“What bet?” It was Marinette’s turn to cross her arms and frown.

“Wait, just when you and Adrien would get together, nothing about having a baby. I said it would happen in college, and Nino said after, and you guys were cutting it awful close by the way with only one semester left.” She explained, and Marinette sighed.

She couldn’t be mad at Alya, and if she were being honest she found the bet amusing. Apparently, everyone was rooting for them and they had never noticed.

“It’s okay, Alya. It is pretty funny. We, uh, we didn’t just call you over for that though. There’s something else, and it’s the main reason I took your phone. What is said here must stay here, and you are sworn to absolute secrecy.” Marinette, looked to Adrien to continue before meeting Alya’s gaze.

“I’m Chat Noir and Marinette is Ladybug. We had to keep it a secret, so Hawkmoth couldn’t find us, even from each other for the longest time. We only found out a few days ago when I took Marinette to the doctor.”

From there, Adrien worked backward to explain everything up until getting poisoned. He didn’t remember much until waking up in Marinette’s apartment, and even at that point in the story he was blushing so much he began to stutter like Marinette used to. She took over, only explaining Ladybug’s unique healing abilities on Chat and leaving Alya to figure out how the story ended.

“So, you did it to save him.” The tears in Alya’s eyes caught them both off guard, but she quickly smiled and dabbed at her eyes with a napkin.

“That’s so romantic and brave. I mean it sucks that you’re stuck in this situation now, but at least Chat was Adrien and Marinette was Ladybug so you both knew each other.” She paused in thought, before gasping.

“Marinette you can’t fight Hawkmoth pregnant. He’s getting fatally dangerous, and as soon as he realizes you’re pregnant he’ll use that to his advantage.” Maybe getting Alya on board and keeping her from the Ladyblog for a while would be easier than they thought.

“We know. So, we have a few someone’s we’d like you to meet.” Right on cue, Plagg and Tikki flew from the bedroom to greet Alya.

“Hi, Alya! I’m Tikki, Marinette’s Kwami, and I’m what allows her to transform into Ladybug.”

“I’m Plagg, and I reluctantly transform Adrien into Chat whenever he wants to creep on Marinette.” Marinette snorted, trying to hide her laughter at Adrien’s embarrassment. He looked indignant for a moment, sputtering how he wasn’t creeping on Marinette if he was just trying to make sure she was safe.

Alya took in the tiny creatures with awe, even poking Plagg’s cheek to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating.

“I am the god of destruction, and a mere human does not just poke me!” He shouted, only managing to look adorable in his outrage. Tikki giggled while Adrien bribed him with his favorite cheese if he would calm down.

“Let’s eat, and we’ll explain everything else.”

Even after the meal was finished, they were still telling Alya all about Hawkmoth, the Akumas, his Miraculous, their Miraculous and how dangerous they were when combined, the Kwamis, and Master Fu. When they wrapped up, Alya was still calm about the whole thing.

“So why are you guys telling me all of this?” Alya looked confused, and understandably so. Her best friends had just unleashed their deepest secrets to her, a known reporter for Paris.

“Master Fu believes you are worthy to hold the Fox Miraculous. Your heart is pure, and your mind is strong, and this makes for good qualities in a holder. With Ladybug expecting, she cannot fight Hawkmoth directly anymore. Chat will need help securing the Akuma, where Ladybug can then purify it.” Tikki told Alya, gently dropping a small, black box in front of her. Alya picked it up carefully, looking over intricate designs.

“You guys trust me with something so important?” She sounded unsure, a rarity for Alya.

“We do. I need my best friend’s help to get through this, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. This is a big responsibility, and the fights can be brutal. Chat almost died, and we don’t expect it to get easier.” Marinette felt Adrien’s arm tug her close, as if he could protect her from all the bad things from getting her with his embrace alone.

“I’ll do it. Not just for my friends, but for Paris too. I interview a lot of people who’ve been affected by these attacks, and even though the Lucky Charm fixes everything, they still remember.

“Hawkmoth has become an active threat, rather than a nuisance who occasionally breaks something. A lot of people are suffering from living in constant fear of the attack that goes too far, and if I can help prevent that I absolutely will help.” Alya opened the box without hesitation, and a bright burst of light filled the room.


End file.
